Category Archives: Hydro/Marine
Street Views of the Water
Above: Martin Offenhauer surveys the Big Rock Road section of the San Diego River. Credit: SDRPF. Mapping rivers above and below the surface creates great opportunity for engineers and stewards. The way maps are produced and displayed varies greatly, depending on their extent, their intended use, and the peculiar challenges of each environment. Mapping a...
After the Storm
Above image: Puerto Rico was surveyed using the Coastal Zone Mapping and Imaging Lidar system to provide efficient damage assessment. Image courtesy of the Joint Airborne Technical Center of Expertise. Post-hurricane coastal mapping is a complex process made easier with airborne bathymetry. Lately, large storms such as hurricanes, cyclones, and typhoons have been wreaking havoc...
The Data of River Dynamics
Using GIS tools and readily accessible satellite data to study rapid change in rivers. Editor’s note: The dynamics of rivers can range from relatively stable to rapidly shifting, the latter especially in flood-prone regions exacerbated by a global increase in extreme weather events. The impacts are environmental, but also economic, social, and cadastral. Surveyors, for...
Surveying Beyond the Water’s Edge
A remotely controlled unmanned survey vessel gives a land survey crew full hydrographic abilities for two busy marinas in Oregon. Founded in 2005, Statewide Land Surveying (SWLS) is a small business located in Gresham, Oregon, well acquainted with taking on challenging projects. While mostly engaged in land surveying, SWLS crew members have been involved for over...
Surveying Scientists: The USGS Does It Right
As is often the case in our tightly networked profession, one thing leads to another. In early 2017 I was contacted by the US Geological Survey (USGS) hydrologist, Brenda Densmore, from the USGS Nebraska Water Science Center. Brenda had found me through the NGS State Geodetic Coordinator web page and reached out to me for...
Michelle Japitana
Instructor and Concurrent Chairman, Engineering Sciences Department, Carga State University, Philippines Testimonials for Michelle Japitana were remarkable. (This year we received a record number of nominations from the Philippines, and we wish we could honor all the fine candidates.) Michelle’s nominators noted that her strength in the geospatial community is her research capabilities in the fields...
